Things started at half past six, with a screening of what appears to be basically the extras from the forthcoming “Arena Concerto” DVD, directed by the composer’s son Giovanni. Starting off, there’s about twenty minutes of chamber music, which was very lovely, although I suspect that it will be the section of the DVD I watch least. I know quite a few people near me left, as they were anticipating a documentary film & were quite bemused to be at a concert, watching a DVD of a concert projected on a big screen. The second half was an interview with the composer, covering things from the difference in composing film & pure music, & the risk-taking in his compositions. There’s also a lovely moment as he talks about his son Andrea also becoming a composer. There was then a ¾ hour break until the main concert started at 8pm.
Rather than having a number of short pieces at maybe three or four minutes each, the music was sensibly arranged into themed suites (rather like Goldsmith’s Motion Picture Medley). The first one was titled “Life & Legend”, & opens dramatically with “The Untouchable” main title, which was performed with real drive. The ending of this & the opening strings of “Once Upon a Time in America” was absolutely electric & not for the first time that evening I began to feel tears welling up. The suite covers both the main “…America” themes, a selection from “Legend of 1900”, before concluding with the gorgeous piano-led “Cinema Paradiso”, performed to perfection by Gilda Butta.
The next piece was “Canone Inverso”. I’d not heard this piece before, & a not particularly helpful programme fails to specify if it’s from a film, or a classical piece. Either way, it’s typically beautiful, with some great solo violin writing. The Crouch End Festival Chorus finally got to do some work with the next piece, which was “La Tenda Rossa”, another piece new to me, which again I couldn’t say if was film or classical. It opens & closes with some gorgeous wordless chorus writing supporting the strongly melodic orchestral writing. But the middle includes some of Morricone’s “other” side, with some uncompromising, harsh & modern writing, similar to some of his suspense work. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these pieces, & really look forward to getting to know them better on DVD.
Time for one last suite before the interval, & this time it was “The Modernity of Myth in Sergio Leone’s Cinema”. Yup, it’s the Western stuff & this was I suspect the highlight for most people – it certainly was mine! Opening with “The Good, the Bad & The Ugly (Main Title)”, I was initially slightly disappointed that the famous opening call & answer didn’t come across as well as the OST (possibly due to my being sat in el cheapo seats). Despite not having the harshness of the OST, it still managed to sound really good, & was probably the best I’ve heard it sound apart from those original recordings. This went straight into the main “Once Upon a Time in the West” theme, with soprano Susanna Rigacci. The first note didn’t come through the acoustics too well, so there was a horrid moment when I thought she’d fluffed it. But almost before I’d thought that, she’d hit it & as soon as it hit, it was quite utterly perfect. I think the only time I’ve actually cried at a concert before was at the overwhelming behemoth that is Mahler’s Second Symphony, but within moments I was welling up like a baby. This was definitely my favourite bit of the evening, really quite overwhelming. The suite continued in great style with the simultaneously jaunty & beautiful “Fistful of Dynamite”, but it was the ending of this piece & the start of the climax that the shivers went up my spine. Yup, it was “The Ecstasy of Gold”, a piece I’ve long desired to hear live - & it did not disappoint. Maybe it’s because I’d been crying mere minutes before, but this was quite simply one of the most amazing & giddily exhilarating moments of live music I’ve yet experienced. Serious wow! time.
The second half boasted just two pieces, the first of which was “Social Cinema”. This suite again featured a few pieces I’d not heard before, but it was all great. The excerpts were from: “La Luz Prodigiosa”, “Battle of Algiers”, “Sacco & Vanzetti”, “Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto”, “Sostiene Pereira”, “La Classe Operaia Va in Paradiso”, “Casualties of War”, & “Queimada – Abolisson”. Two early pieces featured the imposing vocals of Dulce Pontes, which would probably have divided listeners. I found it very impactful, although distracting when I could make out the lyrics. My favourite part of this was a section featuring weird manipulated & electronic sounds, played back through speakers with the music, & containing a show-stopping ostinato. I found this mind-blowing & a real illustration of Morricone’s great music talent & willingness to take risks. Just as I was beginning to feel that the concert was losing the beauty & heart that had made the first half so great, there was the breathtaking performance of the choral lament of “Casualties of War”, whilst “Queimada – Abolisson” was also new to me but possibly my favourite new discovery of the night. Featuring electronic organ, contemporary percussion & some irresistibly catchy choral writing, it was a stunning climax to the suite.
Last, but by no means least was “Tragic, Epic & Lyrical Cinema”. Opening with “Il Deserto dei Tartari”, it moves into the more eerie & modernistic writing for “Richard III”. Incidentally, I was pleased to see that Morricone did include some (albeit not too much) of his more uncompromising writing in the programme, as it’s an essential part of his musical personality & I had feared we’d only be treated to his more melodic side. The balance was just right so as to not turn off the less-open minded listeners too much, but still including enough to satisfy the fans. Nicely done. Anyway, “Il Desrto dei Tartari” had a brief reprise, before the ever-popular “The Mission” brought things to a breathtaking close, featuring both major themes & some of that magnificent choral writing.
But that wasn’t quite all, we also got a nice selection of encores, albeit mostly repeating stuff from the programme. First, there was a brilliant recap of “Dynamite” & “Ecstasy”, before Dulce Pontes got around to singing “The Mission” in her own style, & adding some lyrics which I mostly couldn’t decipher to be honest was quite glad about. The orchestra struck up with a resounding rendition of “Happy Birthday”, which everyone gladly joined in singing. By the end, I don’t think there was a single person in the sold-out Hall who wasn’t on their feet, so Morricone responding by giving us one last blast of “Queimada – Abolisson” to send us out into the street at around 11pm. Perhaps because it was the occasion of his birthday, everyone seemed to have given 110% & the result was a simply magical evening, which I feel overjoyed to have attended. Morricone seems to be wearing his age very well, & despite not speaking to the audience, he seemed a very modest man & appeared to be quite touched by the ecstatic reaction of the crowd. It’s an event I won’t be forgetting in a hurry.

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Originally posted by Timmer:
Good to see you still around here Matt even if you have cloned into a 3rd version of yourself!

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Thanks Timmer, it was a very painful process (and I've no idea where my previous incarnations have got to)

I'm really bursting with jealousy. As the greatest Morricone fan on the planet, I should have been there.